Iwagakure – Tsuchikage's Office
Within the towering walls of the Tsuchikage Building, Ōnoki, the Third Tsuchikage, clutched his back and groaned as he stood up too quickly.
"What did you just say?!"
The old man's expression contorted in disbelief.
"You're telling me… Sarutobi Hiruzen defected?!"
His subordinate nodded solemnly. "Yes, Lord Tsuchikage. The information came from our embedded spies in Konoha. It's confirmed."
Ōnoki winced and rubbed his lower back, half from pain, half from the shock.
"A Hokage… defecting? Ridiculous! What kind of joke is this?!"
But the shinobi persisted.
"A public notice was posted outside the Hokage building itself," he reported. "It stated that due to pressure from Kumogakure, the Third Hokage agreed to hand over a fellow shinobi—Naraku. As a result, he was impeached by every clan head in the village."
Ōnoki fell silent.
After a long pause, he sighed, slowly nodding.
"That old war hawk... he always acted righteous, but it's not surprising he'd betray one of his own."
Then, suddenly, Ōnoki began to laugh—short, sharp wheezes turning into full-bodied guffaws.
"Hahaha! That stubborn old relic finally got what was coming! Removed from office, thrown in jail like a criminal…!"
His eyes gleamed as tears formed at the corners from laughing too hard.
Sarutobi Hiruzen had once been his equal—a fellow veteran of the First Great Ninja War. Ōnoki had once respected him… but over the years, that respect curdled into disdain.
"He let his brilliant subordinates carry all the burden—Sakumo, the Sannin, even that damn Yellow Flash—while he sat safely behind a desk!"
Ōnoki slammed the table and sighed again.
"Truth be told, Hiruzen staying as Hokage was always good for us. He was soft. He weakened Konoha from the inside."
Flipping to the next intelligence scroll, his smile faltered.
"Wait… it says here that a Konoha task force led by a shinobi named Naraku routed the entire Cloud Shinobi assault?"
His face darkened slightly.
"Cloud sent over three thousand men…"
Ōnoki looked out the window, voice low.
"Konoha… is overflowing with talent. Meanwhile, here… not a single successor to my Dust Release."
He slumped into his chair, bitterness gnawing at his pride.
Sunagakure – Kazekage's Office
In the heart of the desert village, the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, sat silently as the latest report was delivered.
"The announcement outside the Hokage building... it accuses the Third Hokage of orchestrating the downfall of Sakumo Hatake."
Rasa's expression froze.
He remembered clearly—how his predecessor, the Third Kazekage, had suddenly ordered an ambush on Sakumo during a secret mission in the Land of Wind.
"At the time, we got intelligence that Konoha's White Fang was operating in our territory… But now it seems that intelligence was planted."
He clenched his fists.
Hiruzen had manipulated everything from the shadows.
Rasa closed his eyes.
"Sakumo took his own life over those false accusations… even after killing so many of our own."
Even as an enemy, Rasa had respected White Fang. And now… the truth left a sour taste in his mouth.
How far had the so-called "Professor" fallen?
His thoughts drifted to his own struggles. Kirigakure was demanding that Sunagakure hand over their hero—Pakura, wielder of Scorch Release—for her battlefield massacres.
He exhaled sharply.
"Politics and betrayal… everywhere."
Kirigakure – In the Shadows
Within the misty halls of Kirigakure, a masked figure stood silently in a chamber surrounded by mist and whispers.
Uchiha Obito, now pulling strings from the shadows through his control over the Fourth Mizukage, received two urgent reports—one from White Zetsu and one from the Mist's own spies.
"…Sarutobi Hiruzen defected to Cloud?"
He scoffed, voice low and distorted behind the mask.
"That fossil finally cracked."
But then—another detail.
"You mean… Naraku led the Konoha forces that defeated Cloud's entire assault unit? On the same day?"
White Zetsu nodded.
"The battle zone was flattened by a Tailed Beast Bomb. No one lived to describe the full fight."
Obito narrowed his eyes behind the mask.
"So we don't even know how he did it?"
"No," said the Zetsu. "But what's certain is that Naraku arrived riding massive black birds—some kind of coordinated aerial unit."
"…Naraku."
The name triggered a memory.
He had been a quiet but promising student back in the Academy. Talented, yes—but not extraordinary. Certainly not on the level of prodigies like Kakashi or Itachi.
"A shinobi like him leading a full-scale operation? Did Konoha run out of leaders?"
Obito sneered.
But before his disdain could deepen, another White Zetsu burst into the chamber.
"OBITO!! Huge news!"
Obito's one visible eye narrowed.
"Cloud Village was personally blocked by Naraku!"
"WHAT?!"
"I saw it with my own eyes! Raikage and Killer Bee came back alone—the entire assault force gone! They looked like death itself!"
The room fell still.
"And that's not all," Zetsu continued. "Naraku used a Lightning Style technique that shattered Cloud's regeneration barrier—and then obliterated the Raikage Building!"
"…That's impossible."
Obito's voice faltered.
Kumogakure was known for its defense. Their regeneration barrier was considered second only to the barrier on Turtle Island during the war.
"It's true. Cloud hasn't retaliated. They've stayed sealed inside their barrier since then."
Obito remained frozen.
"And now," White Zetsu finished dramatically, "Naraku gave them seven days to surrender Hiruzen—or face complete annihilation."
"…Raze Cloud?" Obito muttered. "That's a bold claim."
Even he—wielding the power of Kamui and inheritor of Madara's will—would hesitate to threaten an entire Hidden Village so openly.
"Cloud would never take such humiliation without retaliation," Obito said.
But Black Zetsu stepped from the shadows, eyes glinting like obsidian.
"Which is why it's strange… they haven't."
"…So either Naraku truly has the power—or he's bluffing, and Cloud is too shaken to test him."
Obito didn't respond.
His silence spoke volumes.
He turned, voice calm but steely:
"I'll go to Cloud myself."
"Observe, infiltrate, and if possible—test this 'Naraku'."
He clenched his gloved fist.
"It seems… my old classmate has grown into something interesting."
With a swirl of Kamui, Obito vanished into the void—his Mangekyō eye glowing red beneath the mask.
To Be Continued…